Does anyone have experience of using fabric 'snow socks' rather than metal snow chains as a traction aid when driving in snow ?
If so do they work on hard packed snow / ice as well as soft snow ?
I need to get some chains or socks if the winter is going to carry on like this !!
Thanks, Dave
I'd like to say I could help but a week after ordering my snow socks they still haven't turned up 🙄
I haven't used them but on a car forum people who had them said that were good to get you out of a sticky situation didn't compare with chains. Not very helpful I'm afraid
Ps the socks are meant to have benefits in shallow snow and ice
I'm just about to get snow tyres for the rest of the winter. A wee gamble - I live in Glasgow and travel 'up north' as many weekends as possible. The front tyres are ruined already by the wife wheel spinning about the town out on her nursey duties. I've been surprised before how quickly snow n ice wheel spinning wears tyres.....
I guessing after the initial outlay my costs shall be the same, as you can only wear out one set of tyres at once.
A bloke that lives near me has been using socks on his car to great effect even in what is now almost 2ft of loose snow (which has rendered most people without 4x4's well and truly stuck), given how relatively cheap they are I think it'd buy a set if they fitted on my car (don't for some reason) and I wasn't waiting on snow/winter tyres arriving for our cars . . . didn't quite order soon enough it seems . . .
Not really representative but I've used the socks on an ambulance once and they didn't help one bit. Having said that, it took 4 council workers digging and a Freelander towing to eventually move it, so not a very good example. The socks were also pretty well knackered after it too with loads of holes.
The reports from rapid response cars (mainly Ford Focus) are good.
Used socks ,WeissSocks ,today and they are excellent (18" snow).
Easy to fit and are lasting the pace even using on cleared roads ,I think cheap ones tend to disintegrate.
Used chains before and they are the best for truly awful conditions but take a little longer to fit and the rumble of them on hard surface isn`t the best.Socks are carp on ice whereas chains excel.
So snow socks for Britain and snow chains for the Alps etc.
HTH
i used both when i lived in France (Val d'isere, Tignes), the socks were much quicker to put on and gave you good grip in shallow and fresh snow, they have a carpet like texture that sticks to the snow/ice, however they were very easy to hole when there was no snow on the road, i.e.in a tunnel, pot hole, however unless you have ripped them all the way across they will still work. they are however not very good if you need to get up anything steep, they do seem to slip, especially if there was ice underneath. a good set of snow tyres is just as effective as the socks to be honest and give you pretty much as much grip as you would need. the chains whilst a hassle to put on, (gets easier with practice and make sure you know how to put them on before you go out, it's very cold otherwise trying to learn in a dark layby) and will get you up anything and as long as you drive sensibly. when on tarmac they will be fine at slow speeds just don't turn to quickly.
if you are going to be driving regularly in a lot of snow chains win, with snow tyres or socks for occasional usage in lighter non steep conditions.
hope that helps
got snow tyres for the mrs and they work well, but when the excrement really hits the extractor i'd rather have chains on.
If its just to get you out of a sticky situation, rather than general driving, just carry a couple of large blankets. Lay them down on whatever you can't get over and you WILL get over it - the blanket sticks to the snow andt he tyres stick to the blanket.
what blankets for snow 😉
just in from 10 hours at work. Never used chains but had snow socks on today on the ambulance.
I thought that they looked rubbish, felt cheap and didn't really fit very well, however, by the end of the shift i was pleasantly impressed. They worked surprisingly well, seemed to fit better after driving a bit and really made a difference. the only downside is they get ripped up when there is no snow, so either take them off then on then off then on, or leave them on and watch them get ripped up where snow has been cleared.
I'd never heard of snow socks, so I did a Google images search.
If it takes ten huskeys to pull a sled, I can't see how one of these is going to pull a car.
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My auto socks arrived yesterday after ordering on Friday not tried them yet though.
Gary_M, where did you order from? I've ordered some from roofbox.co.uk and I'm still waiting.
I got some a couple of winters back , easy to put on , work well in snow , reasonably well on ice . used mine to get out of Littondale , past Pen y Ghent to Settle , slipped a bit near the top but would have had no chance without . Also use them to get to the ski resorts of the Pennines - again no problems - they're not as good as chains but more likely to put them on as so quick . Also used Vredestein Quattrac on 2 VW's and a rear wheel drive car when I lived in Aviemore - left them on all year - highly recomended , again not as good as a pure winter tyre but very reassuring .
They look even less likely to work 'in the flesh' as the material looks much the same as a heavy duty gardening sack!If it takes ten huskeys to pull a sled, I can't see how one of these is going to pull a car.
turfroof
By all accounts you'll need a bit more than that at the moment for the Pennines. I'm gutted that Swinhope is still not open and I'm working tomorrow and all weekend. Should be fantastic for those who can get up there.
I'm off now to get my winter rears fitted but very impressed so far with the fronts.
Bought a pair last summer after they sold out last winter... So far I've just used them a couple of times in the last 400m or so to the flat on around 2" compacted snow with some fresh on top, after the part-salted main road, & they've got us back where straight tyres lose all drive / steering (1.4 diesel Fabia). Not difficult to fit, and they seem to right themselves once on. Think they'd deteriorate fairly rapidly on tar though.
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Used autosocks to get out of my road today - they worked well. Took them off in a layby 1 mile up the main road.
I ordered from roofbox.co.uk too and it was Saturday morning at 10.25, not Friday. Arrived yesterday around lunchtime.